Aquaculture in Nepal began as early as 1960s but it is still limited to the pond culture of Chinese and Indian Major carps especially in southern plains, and is characterized by low-input, low-output production systems. Aquaculture interventions in Nepal initially focused on large-scale farmers; however, the successful introduction of small-scale aquaculture in Chitwan and Nawalparasi districts in the early 2000s led to its expansion into the mid-hills and beyond. Fish production, including catch, has reached about 122,000 t per year, with 80% produced through aquaculture, using about 50,000 ponds that cover an estimated 15,000 ha - less than 1% of the arable land. About 0.5 million people belonging to 145,000 families are engaged in aquaculture and fisheries related activities which is only about 1.7% of the total population of about 30 million. Migration of youth is a critical problem as about 2,000 people leave abroad daily to work. Aquaculture could be a competitive business that could attract more people due to its potential for profit. Demand for fish is high and about over 10,000 tons of fish is imported annually which costs over 3 billion Nepali rupee each year (over US$20 million). There is still a huge gap between the annual per capita consumption of fish in Nepal (4 kg) and the global average (20.5 kg).
To promote sustainable, commercial aquaculture and shift from traditional carp-based systems to more productive, commercially viable species with business potential, a state-of-the-art tilapia hatchery has been established at the Center for Aquaculture-Agriculture Research and Production (CAARP) in Chitwan, Nepal, with plans for its expansion. It serves as a good model for the development of diversified aquaculture and agriculture enterprises. CAARP strives to develop human resource by disseminating knowledge and developing technical skills required for aquaculture enterprises. At CAARP, high quality monosex tilapia fingerlings are produced. CAARP produced about 0.1 million monosex fry in 2024. Considering the rapidly increasing demand for high-quality monosex tilapia fingerlings in Nepal, CAARP plans to upgrade existing hatchery as the Tilapia Broodstock Center (TBC) and establish other franchise hatcheries. Similarly, it plans to expand tilapia farming by establishing several tilapia farming clusters nearby the hatcheries as a model for others to adopt. Aggressive promotion and dissemination of outcomes, lessons learned and findings are under plan.
CAARP is committed to promoting tilapia farming in Nepal, aiming to accelerate the sector’s commercialization. Advanced technologies are necessary to enhance aquaculture production and productivity. Availability of high-quality seed and the hatchery or seed production is the main foundation for any type of aquaculture development. CAARP focuses primarily on tilapia, a promising fish species with the potential to combat poverty, malnutrition, and improve income. However, there are misconceptions about tilapia in Nepal and South Asia which need to be addressed through the introduction of the latest technologies and demonstrations that showcase its potential across the value chain. As a new species with commercial scope for domestic as well as export market, tilapia needs specialized technologies so that farmers can grow profitably and sustainably. On-farm testing and validation of tilapia farming technologies are needed in demonstration farms so that farmers could adopt easily. CAARP plans to establish specialized clusters or pockets for tilapia farming identifying potential areas. Drawing on proven models from elsewhere (Pant et. al., 2024), CAARP plans to establish more hatcheries, nurseries, local service providers (LSPs), markets (live, fresh, and frozen) and processors and cold storage to create and strengthen the entire value chain. CAARP aims to foster strong partnerships for research, training, outreach, and investment, and to establish itself as a center of excellence for tilapia aquaculture research and development in Nepal.